"You could say I'm a dreamer", says John Lennon in his beautiful song Imagine. Well, you could say I'm a crier. I cry at sunsets and sunrises, or when a new flower pops up in my small garden. I always cry at the movies, even the silliest ones. When I read a well written piece, tears flow down my cheeks as the words pierce my heart. I have cried at Iguazu Falls each time I have visited, and will cry again! The majesty and splendor of the Perito Moreno Glacier has brought me to tears. The fact that we tend to associate tears with sad moments is not something I have ever appreciated. Lucky for me, I have most often cried tears of joy or wonder in my life.It is no surprise that last Saturday I cried like a baby when I released the last of my Spanish stories to my writing coach in Argentina. We had agreed I would undertake a final final edit, read each story carefully, and pass on to her with a farewell kiss. Slowly, I reread word by word, sentence by sentence, the magic of my own creation. By Friday evening, I had finished 12 out of 14, and was well on my way to the fond farewell. Little did I know. On Saturday morning I woke up with renewed energy, knowing that the last two stories were short and sweet. The first one is a story about a young girl struggling with the death of her beloved grandpa, called El Nono. The last one, about an old lady that passes on her magic powers to her young niece, Tia Adela. Truth be told, every time I read the grandpa story I get choked up and end up crying, as I remember the young Lili at the time of her nono's death. So I sob. Sob some more. Go on to the next story. Cry after that one too, but I am not even sure why. It just gets me, every time. I copy both stories onto Google Docs so Majo in Argentina can get to work. I freeze. Sitting at home on my favourite red leather chair, I begin to cry, this time in earnest. "I've just given birth", I think. And I think about the four times that I was blessed to undergo the miracle of birth. Jenni, Carly, Patito, JP. The happiest four moments of my life. And the tears of joy that I cried each and every time, and that I still cry when I see a photo of those moments.

And so, I gave birth on Saturday, to my Spanish cuentos. I know there are still some corrections and edits coming my way, and I do wonder if there will be enough tissues on earth to dry my eyes when I finally see these babies in print!

not exactly the last quarter, but at least the photo is mine! no exactamente el cuarto menguante, pero por lo menos la foto es mía..

A new friend reminded me this morning of the fable of the turtle and the hare. And in turn, I thought about my italian grandfather's words, "piano piano si va lontano", something like "slowly, slowly you go far".

Yesterday, driven by my frustrations, I began the day with a long class with my writing coach in Cordoba, a woman with as much patience as wisdom. We buttoned down the prologue and discussed the order of the stories, without making any decisions. This led me to try to print all the stories. But to print them, I needed to put them on a CD. Esto me llevó a querer imprimir los cuentos, y para esto, necesitaba ponerlos en un CD. De "pages" a "PDF" o "Word" comvertí mis archivos, y, la segunda vez, lo conseguí! Un pequeño triunfo. I succeeded in converting the files from "pages" to "PDF", a small triumph when I succeeded on the second try.

All this may seem easy to you young'uns, but to me, it's all a new adventure. Todo esto les parecerá muy facil a ustedes los jóvenes, pero para mi, es toda una aventura.

Saliendo de la tienda donde hice las copias, conocí a dos personas, argentinas, y no solo argentinas, sino cordobesas! Esto me pareció auspicioso, ayudandome a volver a casa con mas energía! Leaving the copy store, I ran into two argentines, not only argentine but from Cordoba. This gave me even more energy to go on.

After lunch, I decided to decide on a publication date. I knew I wanted it in November, the month of my birth, but I had three dates with which I was toying: the full moon or November 6th, November 14 because it is a multiple of seven and because there are fourteen stories in each language, and November 26 which was revealed in a dream. Después del almuerzo, decidí decidir la fecha de publicación en el mes de noviembre, el mes de mi nacimiento. Tenía tres fechas, la luna llena del seis, el 14 porque es múltiple de siete y porque publico catorce cuentos en dos idiomas, o el 26, revelado en un sueño. Llamé a un "ángel" en Argentina y no dudó en el catorce! I called my "angel" in Argentina who immediately and without hesitation voted on the 14th. Just for curiosity, I looked up the moon, and it is the final quarter moon in November, I was told that it is a time for emptying of self, and allowing the universe to take over. "It is out of your hands and no more action is needed from you". WOW. Curiosa, busqué la luna el 14, y es la luna del cuarto menguante, un momento de deshacerse del ego y permitir que el universo se encargue de todo. "Está fuera de tus manos y no se necesita más acción de tu parte". GUAUMás tarde hablé con una amiga astróloga quien me confirmó que era un momento muy propicio. I later spoke with an astrologuer friend, who confirmed this was a porpitious moment to publish.Today I meet up with a potential editor for the English stories. Hoy tengo reunión con una potencial editora para los cuentos en inglés.